The families of the six Covenant School victims did something remarkable. In the wake of their own loss and tragedy, they offered a hand of forgiveness and paid for the killer’s funeral. This mass murderer was a member of the radical and violent transgender cult, and it is widely thought that it was this ideology that was the motivating factor behind the her deadly attack back in March.

It’s hard to put into words the bittersweetness of the Covenant families’ simple act. They lost so much at the hands of this cruel murderer whose senseless act stole their loved ones’ lives. The mercy and compassion of paying for the funeral, however, vividly illustrates to the shooter’s parents that they are not alone in their pain and loss. The assailant’s parents are Christians who live in the community. The killer was once a student at the very school she attacked.

Christian Post contributor Bethel McGrew also points out that the shooter’s parents were the recipients of some of the vilest allegations from the Left. Leftists blamed them for not accepting their daughter’s “transgender identity” and in essence made them scapegoats for the vile actions and choices of their daughter.

Some people on the Right criticized the act of compassion and mercy by the families as weakness or excusing the actions of the murderer. This is a wild and reactionary take. How is it weak to show compassion on fellow Christians who are also hurting? How is paying for the funeral excusing the actions of a killer?

This “reasoning” sounds more like rabid ravings and fails to see the beauty in the actions of the school’s families. As McGrew states: “Jesus tells Christians to love their enemies. He does not provide detailed guidance for the form this must take in every time and circumstance. This is the form Covenant chose for it to take in this time and circumstance. Let us say that it is praiseworthy and excellent, and let that be enough.”

It is another purposeful way that these brave parents are trying to love their community in the midst of their tragic loss. The victims’ parents have also requested that the killer’s “manifesto” not be released for the sake of their families and the Covenant School community to be able to move on from this.

The narrative with which many nonbelievers like to smear Christians is that they are bigoted, hypocrites, lack compassion, and don’t practice what they preach. Like everyone else, Christians are fallible humans and constantly fail to live up to the standards set by God, thus necessitating the need for Christ as Savior. It is an amazing thing to witness though when faithful believers do extend Christlike compassion to their persecutors. It is a supernatural vision of glory.

There are many other examples of Christians displaying love that is above and beyond understanding. Take, for example, the families of the murder victims at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina in 2014. Many bereaved family members spontaneously told the killer — who was motivated by white supremacy — that they forgave him. One of the victim’s family members explained: “The [cultural] narrative of forgiveness is submitting and it means that you’re weak, or people would think that. But I’ve realized that forgiving is so much tougher than holding a grudge. It takes a lot more courage to forgive than it does to say, ‘I’m going to be upset about whatever forever.’”

Another example of victims’ families extending forgiveness, compassion, and mercy: In 2006, a man attacked an Amish school and killed five young girls before taking his own life. The families of the victims embraced the killer’s widow and other family members at his funeral in a show of forgiveness. Some also gave money to support his widow and her three children in the aftermath. His mother had this to say about the forgiveness that the Amish community showed her family:

I will never forget the devastation caused by my son. But one of the fathers the other night, he said, “None of us would have ever chosen this. But the relationships that we have built through it, you can’t put a price on that.” And [the victims’ families’] choice to allow life to move forward was quite a healing balm for us. And I think it’s a message the world needs.

Forgiveness, true forgiveness, is not something that is a virtue signal. It is a deep and often difficult daily decision requiring the help of God. It is the very opposite of weakness. The gesture of mercy and compassion by the families of The Covenant School should be honored and respected, and, just perhaps, emulated more often.